Member Reviews
A hilarious holiday enemies to lovers and brother’s best friend rom-com!
Jessie Foley is going home for the holidays to visit with her family and see her twin brother Timothy and definitely not to see his best friend Nic Fontana. She last saw him 5 years ago and that certainly didn’t go well.
Jessie is an artist and loves to paint however hasn’t painted in 5 years and now does digital media for a sex toy company. Nic is a famous actor however doesn’t love it and is recently divorced. Timothy makes Nic come to the holiday celebration because surprise…Tim is getting married in a few days and they are all in the wedding! So Jessie and Nic are thrown together in the house for better or worse. And will they come to terms with what the Foley family has known for years….that they are meant for each other? You’ll have to read to find out!
Thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for sharing this ARC with me in exchange for my honest review.
4.5⭐️
This is the second book in Over The Top Love series. I am fairly new to NetGalley and didn’t get the chance to read the first book but it can be read as a standalone. I think it totally stands up on its own. The story telling and writing style were excellent, I loved the flow and was drawn into the book immediately! And with an opening line like: “I’M A CANDY CANE slut and it's my time to shine,” I mean come ON!!!
I love Jessie and Nic! They have know each other since they were teenagers and have never gotten along. They both have deep-seated baggage causing insecurity about their self worth and leave them afraid of be vulnerable. The forced proximity propels the two into confronting their sexual tension and decide to have holiday fling. Very HOT!! 🥵
I really sympathized with Jessie and how she felt like an outsider in her own family. I’ve too felt like an outsider in my family, sometimes because of my own actions and others just because. I also understood why Nic was so afraid to lose his surrogate family. It was heartbreaking to read and when a book can make me cry, I almost automatically love it. This lived up to my cry standards! My favorite time of the year is Christmas and after reading this book, I want to spend Christmas with this Foley family!!! This was 4.5 ⭐️ 4🌶️ book!
Thank you Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this amazing book before it’s out!
New favorite holiday romance! Swoony and spicy wrapped into one adorable story. I love the characters, chemistry, and the sweet story line. The fast pace made this incredibly hard to put down. I also loved the sex positivity representation! Will definitely be reading again. My review is a 5/5 for content, and 4/5 for spice. I loved every page.
Thank you to the publisher Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for the ARC! All comments are my own.
I usually am a sucker for holiday rom-coms but this one did not hit the spot! Jessy and Nick do not make a good couple, the self loathing and issues they have with themselves is beyond annoying.
I like how the family Christmas was portrayed! The cookie making and drunk carolling was amazing! Loved it!
The couple I did not like them much! I just could not get behind the “I can’t control what my body wants” and the way Nick reacted after they were intimate. It felt weird when she accepted the “enemies with benefits” deal. Please!
Is Nick a nice guy or is he an a**hole? Ugh just choose something, they keep telling themselves that they have been into each other’s for years but face to face they barely stand each other, but are intimate anyways! They just don’t click! There is no tension and their monologues are tedious, they just can’t make up their minds!
I received a digital ARC provided by Victory Editing and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Holiday Vibes by Sarah Brenton is set to release November 24th, 2023.
⭐️4/5⭐️
Unable to make it in the art industry Jessie Foley now works for Sploosh!, a sex toy company. When Jessie goes home for Christmas she has to work through her troubles of why she no longer can paint, the relationship with her brother, and her strong hatred for her brothers best friend, Nic. Jessie could make a list of a million things she would rather do than stay under the same roof as him.
Making it big in Hollywood for his superhero acting role, Nic is spiraling. His recent divorce and being unhappy with his career have Nic accompanying Timothy home for the holidays because he has no family of his own. On top of eveything going on in his life now he has to face Jessie, his best friends sister and work through his attraction to her.
Holiday Vibes follows Jessie and Nic as they participate in all of the Foley’s wild holiday traditions while they work on themselves and their undeniable attraction to each other.
I'm rating Holiday Vibes 4 out of 5 stars. This book was a quick and easy read with a good amout of spice throughout. The Foley traditions of baking, caroling, and snowball fights have me excited for the holiday season. It took me some time to begin to like both Jessie and Nic. It was around the 50% mark that we got in depth history of the two. My only other qualm is Jessie repeatedly referring to Timothy as "my twin".
Over all, if you are looking for a fun holiday romance that has all the Christmas spirit, you’re in the right place. Whether you sit by a starlit Christmas tree or by a warm fireplace, Holiday Vibes is the perfect read this holiday season!
Thank you to Victory Editing and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.
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Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an arc copy of this book to read and review. All of these comments are my own.
This was seriously such a cute and fun read. I couldn’t put this book down. It’s super fast pace and honestly hilarious. I wish I could be a part of this family.
This does have a miscommunication trope which I don’t really like but it wasn’t terrible in this book. I highly recommend this to all romance lovers.
Side note; the spice was spicy. 3 🌶️🌶️🌶️
4 stars!
Looking to get into some holiday romance and a bit of spice, then grab yourself a copy of Holiday Vibes by Sarah Brenton. Set around Christmas, we follow the journey of the Foley family, particularly that of Jessie and family friend, Nic, who is Jessie's brothers best friend.
Enemies to lovers, star crossed lovers, miscommunication, feelings hurt, an abundance of cooking, beverages, dildos and hot steamy sex are all found within the pages of Holiday Vibes.
Well worth the read, with relatable characters.
Four Stars and 5 Spice rating.
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In the end I give this book three stars. Unfortunately, most of the first half was not for me. There were a couple of cute scenes but mostly it was just too much horniness.I like lust and horniness in a romance but the feelings need to take top priority. Finally, in the last half I started to feel the emotions and it became more compelling. The family was meant to me quirky and eccentric I think. There were some funny family moments but most of it felt contrived. I mostly liked Nic and Jessica but sometimes they behaved like teenagers.So, this was an ok holiday romance that had the potential to be much better. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers.
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book!
I enjoyed this book. I particularly enjoyed all of the Christmas themed elements. From mistletoe, bawdy caroling, and cookies to snowball fights, and hot chocolate, this book had all the holiday vibes the title described.
This book was a quick and easy read with plenty of steam.
While I enjoyed the book, I wasn’t a huge fan of Jessie or Nic. Jessie seemed incredibly immature, and while I believe this was part of her character development, it really bothered me. Both Nic and Jessie were insufferably self-loathing and found self-pity to be their favorite pastime.
There were scenes in the beginning that felt like forced smut. We were itching to start the sex scenes, and while some may enjoy this, I really wanted the depth of their history. I felt like we didn’t get that until the 50% mark to the end.
I felt like the characters could have had so much more depth if we’d have gotten those memories before. It would have made the rest of the relationship building more impactful.
**SPOILER** I also hated that we randomly got an ambulance for slipping on ice and getting a minor concussion. It felt rather dramatic.
Overall, a decent read if you’re in the mood for it.
This is the second book in the "Over the top Love" trilogy and it tells the story of Jessie and Nic. Those two have known each other since they were teenagers since Nic was a neighbour and the best friend of Jessie's twin-brother Timothy and they were always more enemies than friends - even though Nic is a honorary member of the Foley family. Now they have to spend two weeks with Jessie's family over Christmas...
I really loved the book: it was funny, fast-paced, full of entertaining characters and the bedroom scenes were hot.. I felt for Jessie and wanted to smack Nic sometimes and when I finished the book I wanted to keep on reading. I definitely have to read "Love and other risky business" asap.
I received an ARC via Netgalley.com and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I looooved "Holiday Vibes". Moments of hilarity, steam, sweetness, sadness, frustration, acceptance are all rolled into one holiday themed reading package. (Package - hahah!)
FMC Jessie loathes her brother's best friend, Nic. She feels Nic supplanted her within her family, especially in relation to her twin. She blames Nic for her biggest heartbreak and for her unwillingness to return to painting. Loathing, of course, is a short hop away from lust and maybe even love. MMC Nic, on the other hand, has always had something of a thing for Jessie, even though he knows she seemingly hates him. But some holiday themed undies and a very efficient dryer change everything.
Jessie and Nic have to navigate their new "relationship" amongst the expectations of the entire wacky Foley clan. Miscommunication and fear create havoc and heartbreak, but it is lovely to watch them work their way back together - and to watch Jessie's family figure out how to work its way back to her.
Highly recommend reading this book in front of the Christmas tree this year. 5 stars. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. The opinions in this review are my own.
This one blew my expectations out of the water! Funny, raunchy, and unexpectedly sweet, "Holiday Vibes" is a high-heat contemporary romance that had me craving the rest of the series. I will definitely be recommending this one.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc! Opinions are my own.
I am always blown away by the emotion, hilarity, and steaminess Sarah brings to her stories.
Set at the Foley's Christmas extravaganza, Jessie Foley would rather drink bad egg nog than spend the holidays under the same roof as the annoyingly good looking actor, Nic Fontana, but making up with her brother requires making nice with his best friend.
A pair of mistletoe underwear spark a sexy encounter and a secret holiday fling, but as the holiday comes to an end, Nic and Jessie will have to come to terms with their complicated past and deeply-buried feelings and decide if they have a future together or only vibes.
So many scenes in this book live rent-free in my mind. The laundry room, the HOT TUB, the igloo. The supporting cast is bonkers and endearing, the leads are feisty and the banter is top notch.
If you're looking for a fun and hot holiday romance, look no further. Holiday Vibes delivers!!
If you currently have (or ever wanted) a huge, brawling family all under the same roof for a high-emotional-stakes performance of unbreakable holiday traditions, you’ll want to sneak off with this book and snort-laugh until you cry, then heat up till you combust.
Jessie Foley hasn’t painted since her twin brother’s best friend ruined it for her, like he ruined everything since they were teenagers. Luckily, he’s busy being a terrible actor who somehow landed a massive superhero franchise, so he won’t be butting in on her precious family Christmas. But when Jessie gets home for the holidays, guess who her brother brought with him? Pass the mulled wine, Christmas is gonna suck.
Nic Fontana has a killer shirtless smolder and not much else. Newly divorced, unhappy in his career, and with no family of his own, he needs to lick his wounds with the people he’s always considered his second family. Except Jessie, who’s never felt anything like a sister, especially not when she accidentally ends up under the mistletoe with him (and let’s be honest, ends up just plain under him). But holidays don’t last forever, and when this one ends, they’ll have to risk it all to find out if what they have is more than just vibes.
The genius of Sarah Brenton is her ability to slide angry, saucy, filthy-cute enemies-to-lovers banter between two slices of bread and magically make it into a love sandwich. HOLIDAY VIBES is unapologetically hot, filled with spicy snark, and crammed with the beautiful chaos of a big, boisterous, no-filter family at the most wonderful time of the year. I’m sorry about those other books that used to be your holiday comfort rereads…make room on your bookshelf for your new perennial fave.
I was approved this book through NetGallery, in return for an honest review. I am so glad I got to read this book because it was absolutely amazing! I could not put it down until I had finished it.
This is a fun book with a lot of spice to raise your temperature! This book made me laugh, had me at the edge of my seat trying to think about what would happen next and a little hot under the collar. What more can you want from a book?
I will definitely be recommending this book and will be buying the book when it comes out, because it's one of those that I would love to go back to and reread all over again.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Definitely worth more in my opinion).
I had a lot of fun reading this sexy holiday rom-com. Jessie and Nic grew up together (he’s her brother’s best friend), and they don’t like each other. There’s always been attraction simmering under the surface of their interactions, though, and maybe a little something more.
With two weeks together in the same house at Christmas for the first time in years — and their rooms separated by a jack-and-jill bathroom — their attraction is too hard to ignore. They agree to a no-strings holiday fling that starts with a laundry room hookup and just keeps getting hotter from there.
This book was ridiculously sexy. The chemistry between Jessie and Nic was unreal. If you enjoy steamy romances with a side of cozy Christmas/winter atmosphere, you’ll love this book!
Thank you to NetGalley and the Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for the ARC.
I literally binged this entire book in one day. Once I got started I couldn’t put it down! There were a couple parts in here that made me laugh out loud, and some steamy parts that made my temperature rise. Now I’m going to have to get book one in the series, and I can’t wait for book three!
ABSOLUTELY LOVE LOVE LOVED THIS BOOK!!!! The spice was *Chef's kiss* and the chemistry and tension was off the roof. Would definitely recommend for anyone to read this book. Can't wait for the 3rd book in this series. Thank you Sarah Brenton for writing such a masterpiece. : ) Read it all in one day, it was a very enjoyable read. Like nearly every other enemies to lovers there was a LOT of denial of their feelings to each other which left me frustrated and annoyed a lot of the time but there was a happy ending.
A fun and entertaining read with holiday spice! With the undeniable connection and intensity between Jessie and Nic, HOLIDAY VIBES will definitely keep readers warm this winter! I'm always a sucker for an enemies-to-lovers trope, and I enjoyed Jessie and Nic having to confront and navigate their deep feelings for one another even when they didn't want to admit them.
Thank you to Victory Editing and NetGalley for the advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review.
Jessie works for a sex toy company while Nic is a big star in a superhero franchise. Nic needs the support of his friends after a divorce and challenging career issues. They start a holiday fling when she reconciles with her brother.
Love Jessie and Nic. They are fun characters. I enjoy the enemies to lovers trope. Really fun banter.
Thanks to the publisher for the arc.